4100weeks

What's your idea?

Do you have an idea for a business, but don't know how to take the next step? Check out Ahhha. You can submit ideas to the site and Ahhha's community votes on it. The best ideas bubble up to the top, and are given funding or connections to make the project a reality. A 74 second animated clip on the main web page gives you an overview of how it works. 

According to Matt Crowe, Ahhha founder, the link between idea and execution is what's really missing in most peoples' lives.

Starting a business . . . in a recession

Starting a business is always a challenging proposition. How about during a recession?  Well some people think that's crazy. Not Richard Branson of Virgin fame. Here are his 5 tips for starting up in a recession.

Climb the Highest Peak in Every State.

Be the first on your block to climb the fifty tallest peaks in all fifty states.  Aw, come on, someone has to do it and you have 4100 weeks or more to get it done. You can start with the toughest challenge at Mount Mckinley aka Denali in Alaska with a 20,320 foot technical climb or you may want to consider a stroll up Driskell Mountain in Louisiana at 535 feet.  Aren't there basketball players that are taller than that and can you really call a 535 foot bump a mountain? 

Regardless of your choice it's a great way to see the USA and a rocking bucket list item that few have accomplished.  Got to www.state50.net to organize your road trip and then do your homework to hone your technical climbing skills because several of these peaks are not a cake walk like Ebright Azimuth in Delaware at 451 feet.  Send pictures and stories!

Half Marathon Popularity Trend

The half marathon has been widely reported as the fastest growing road race distance in the US.

In 2008 to 2009 registration for the distance grew from 900,000 runners to over 1.1 million runners - a whopping 24%!  Since 2000, US half-marathon finishers have jumped to over 1.1 million for a 131% increase.

Runners rank the half marathon as their favorite distance for the following reasons:

It's the next challenge or step-up after completion of a 5 or 10K. Runners who are intimidated by the marathon find the half to be a doable distance.  The half fills the void when marathoners decide that 26.2 miles is no longer for them. Runners use it to build fitness while training for a marathon and the chances for injury are fewer at the 13.1 mile distance.  The training time is much less, and many walkers complete the 1/2 marathon without running a step.

For an excellent 1/2 marathon training program go to www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon

For a list of many of the half marathons go to www.halfmarathons.net

 

What do you do?

Author Dan Pink detests the question "What's your passion?" In his recent monthly column for the Sunday Telegraph titled Think Tank: Ever felt like your job isn't what you were born to do? You're not alone, he says a more productive question to ask is "What is it you do?" He says that while hot steamy passion is good, it's the long term, calmer true love that is where the enduring magic is. Here are a few more to ask . . . 

What did you do last Saturday afternoon – for fun, for yourself?

What books do you read or blogs do you visit, not for work, but just because you're interested in them?

What are you great at? What comes easily to you?

What would you do – or are you already doing – for free?

 

Twenty Five things you must do before you become fertilizer?

 The intro usually reads something like this:

 25 Adventures you can complete for $200 or less?

17 Perfect Weekends? 

20 Vacations you must take?

15 Best Outdoor Towns (you must live in)?

45 Expeditions that will challenge your body and soul?

99 ways to build perfect abs (avoiding McDonalds not listed)

Are "Bucket Lists" Overrated? I don't know but they always inspire me to "shed my protective shell" and find new horizons. This really good link from Outside Magazine will give you 50 new ways to make the most of your 4100 weeks.  Remember to always consult your doctor if you are under age 79.5 and wear a helmet to avoid becoming premature fertilizer.

http://outsideonline.com/adventure/lifelist-index-sp.html

Now, THIS is an ADVENTURE.....

260 miles in a canoe, day and night, only water can be provided by your support team, snakes, alligators, strainers, sweepers, sleep monsters and maybe a surly partner to make things interesting.

Start on the San Marcos river in Texas, merge into the Guadalupe, cross Alligator Lake and then paddle the bay for 10 mile to Seadrift Texas.  It's the Texas Water Safari, the first weekend in June each year.  Start practicing and preparing now to be ready for 2011.  It's a life changing experience.  I promise.

 
Here's the interesting story of a first-timer and her more experienced paddling partner. 

http://flyfishchick.com/2010/07/16/truth-in-advertising/

Winners finish in 35 hours - everyone must be complete in 100 hours.  Tell us how you do in 2011.

An excellent way to die . . .

Run 900 yards as fast as you can . . . oh, and there are six 1200 pound bulls, six steers, and 2000 people chasing you. Check out Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly's great adventure in Pamplona - Welcome to Tramplona.

Where to next?

 I’ve been feeling restless lately. Yearning for a little more. Wondering where I want my life to go next.

The last three years were full of change, not of my own choice at first. A divorce left me as a single mom of a one-year-old daughter and three-year-old son. The split was sudden and shocking….at least for me. Talking to others who have divorced has convinced me that’s often the case — one partner is making an exit strategy, starting to build the supports for a new life, while the other has little clue that the life they built together is already quietly being dismantled. “We” is about to hit its expiration date, and like a nectarine gone mushy and bad, the split is foul, messy, and unpleasant.

I was left reeling, sad and confused. There were plenty of tasks that soaked up days and then months: sobbing, negotiating, setting up a visitation schedule, hexing my ex, gathering mountains of paperwork, leaning on friends and family, more negotiating, going to court, and selling my house. Eventually, settling more happily into a new town, a new condo, and a new life.

For most of that time, getting through was the goal—just managing the change, helping my children adapt as easily and happily as possible, and finding some solid ground beneath our feet. Now, though, life has settled down. The kids and I are feeling at home in our new place, and my son (now a kindergartener) loves his new school. We’ve adapted to the new rhythm of our lives. We’re content. So now what?

I’ve already got 2,247 weeks behind me. When I did the math, I had to do it a second time. 2,247….How is that possible? So using the 4100 weeks guidelines that leaves me with….1,853. It hardly seems enough to learn what I want to learn, see what I want to see, and become the person I want to become.

At first, the divorce felt like too much—too much pain and stress, too much uncertainty, too much to manage. Now though, it feels freeing. I find myself feeling more confident, more eager to define my life on my terms—more myself than I’ve been in a long time. I’ve been presented with a new opportunity: a chance to chart a new course. But to where? What do I want my life to look like in a year? 5 years? What makes me happy? What am I passionate about? Other than ice cream and my kids. Because while both are sweet and delightful, I’m hankering for something more. More adventure. More connection. More joy.

I want to grow as a parent and a person. I want to make sure that the remaining 1,853 weeks don’t slip away, practically unnoticed in a sea of laundry to be washed, school lunches to be packed, kids to be shepherded to dance or soccer, and appointments to be on time for. All that needs to be done, certainly, but my hope is to find out what brings pleasure and meaning to my life and what makes me the best parent possible to my kids—and to pursue those things consciously. In short, I want to squeeze the most out of my remaining 1,853 weeks. This site is already giving me the nudge I needed to commit a little more fully to that journey. Here you’ll see my steps and missteps along the way.

Committed or Involved?

  

I heard it something like this:

“The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'.”   Is your life and career more like the chicken or the pig?

A college friend was an all conference quarterback for our University.  He was also a scratch golfer, great student and a good looking guy,  the original "chick magnet."  Everything he touched turned out well - he was a natural.  I played varsity tennis and had played every day since I was 12, one day he asked to hit a few balls with me.  An hour later I was convinced that with and 6 months practice,  he would be a competitive match for me.  He had the commitment of the  pig and a DNA birth gift from his parents.

Most of us aren't both that lucky and naturally gifted.  Our success comes from steely eyed, fire-in-the-gut, objective setting commitment to a goal.

Joggers are involved and marathoners are committed.  It's easy to become a jogger with a pair of running shoes and the incentive that comes from an invitation to an upcoming high school reunion or maybe a tactless comment from a friend.  You don't jog far, you walk some, jog some, and maybe you make it a regular habit for the purpose of showing up at the reunion looking buff. 

Jogging takes some discipline but completing a marathon is an example of real commitment.

Marathoning usually starts with a challenge or as  a social event.  "Let's run a 5K says the neighbor."  "OK, you respond," with all the bravado  a former undistinguished 5"8" 230 pound point guard  can muster.  "I am in!"  Three months later with 30 pounds of gut shrinkage and the inspiration of the "free" macho  "T" shirt you jump at the chance to become a local hero by running the Any Town Marathon.

Commitment to achieve lofty goals takes planning, goal setting, learning, sweat, discipline and the ability to bounce back from failure and to forge ahead.   Success in business, family, fitness, a cause or having a well-rounded life all depend on your level of commitment. 

Are you committed, involved or just a armchair quarterback?  The ball's in your court for 4100 weeks.....